Dementium: The Ward is a renowned survival horror title that first launched on the Nintendo DS in 2007. Its unique premise, which features an amnesiac protagonist navigating a zombie-infested hospital with makeshift weapons, has garnered it a dedicated fanbase. The game was pitched to Konami as a Silent Hill franchise title, but was initially dismissed. As Jools Watsham, the game’s director, recalls: “The person I met with from Konami was rather dismissive and said something to the effect of, ‘We wouldn’t give the Silent Hill IP to a team like yours.’” This response was surprisingly discouraging.

After years, developers used the engine of Dementium 2 to create a third-person version, again pitching it to Konami. “They simply didn’t want to venture into the DS space with a horror title at that time,” Watsham stated. Fast forward to 2025, and the remastered PC edition of Dementium will support 4K resolution and offer several retro display options, available on Steam from October 27.

Dementium

For those nostalgic about handheld horror games, this re-release is sure to rekindle fond memories.